


Tides of Pain and Rapture

by the__pleiades



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: BDSM, Degradation, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, F/M, Femdom, M/M, Multi, Pegging, Praise Kink, Spitroasting, Voyeurism, gee zag how come they let you have TWO doms???, thanatos is In Danger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 14:08:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the__pleiades/pseuds/the__pleiades
Summary: Whether a spear slicing Zagreus' flesh or a flogger cracking against it, Thanatos had reasoned his reaction would feel the same.But it didn’t.For the hadeskinkmeme prompt: “Despite being together, Thanatos has never seen what Zag and Meg get up to. For once, they let him watch.”
Relationships: Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 128
Collections: Hades Kink Meme





	Tides of Pain and Rapture

**Author's Note:**

> It feels good to be back!
> 
> This one goes out to all the bisexuals for whom godiwishthatwereme.jpg took on several new dimensions because of Hades.
> 
> (It’s me. I’m bisexuals.)
> 
> The title of this work is from Tame Impala's [Borderline.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXkZ-eeGs6A)

For most of its patrons, the lounge of the House of Hades was a place of leisure. Having lost the concept of working hours, the laboring shades of the House took as long of breaks as their Master would allow, draping the room in their gossamer forms. Their chatter reverberated from corner to corner, the low buzz of it persisting through the Underworld's each and every hour. 

Every hour, except one. 

There came a time, a specific interval of days or nights, when the shades could feel the temperature subtly lowering, the rise of a distinct pressure in the air that accompanied it. The shades knew, then, to clear a considerable perimeter from the lounge's central table. At precisely that time, Megaera and Thanatos swept through the lounge's heavy doors, filling the empty space in swaths of black and blue. 

The two settled in among stacks of scrolls, their respective quills, and a pint of a staunch, acrid ale only a work-hardened Chthonic god could enjoy. Between sips of the drink, they exchanged names on lists double the length of the table, crossing off those who Thanatos had culled from the surface and delivered to the Furies, recounting the oaths broken in life and their necessary punishments in death. Their hushed conversation solely occupied the reverent silence. 

They polished off Megaera’s list first, by far the best-kept of the three Furies'. They next unfurled Alecto’s maniacal stream-of-consciousness, matching the spiral of names and punishments scattered across several scrolls. Finally, they scoured Tisiphone’s pictorial scratch for Megaera’s footnotes, her attempts to decipher the minute differences in Tisiphone’s handwriting, to determine which murderers’ sentences she carried out. So they continued until the pint neared its dregs and the four chronologies proved identical. 

The lengthy reconciliation was no doubt an arduous task, but their collaboration had a ruthless efficiency that Thanatos enjoyed. It was rare to have the dedication to his assignment so finely mirrored, and in one of his few ages-old friendships no less. He knew Megaera felt the same; setting down her quill, she thanked Thanatos for, once again, making at least one part of her job easy. 

With their business complete, their discussion turned casual. In the eons since they started working together, it had become something of a time-honored tradition to anticipate some of their future joint ventures. Thanatos offered knowledge of the machinations of his sister Fates, and Megaera filtered their wisdom through the primordial sense of wrongdoing possessed by the Erinyes. To the few shades remaining in the lounge, their exchange appeared to be another tactful transaction among colleagues. In fact, it was just another form of gossip the two friends entertained. 

“The tyrant in Thessaly," Megaera said, swirling her drink in her hand. "How does he fare?” 

“There is not much to report on that one,” Thanatos remarked dryly. “The disease he has will age him rapidly once it sets in. It is only a question of time. The Fates suggest he is planning an assassination, though.” 

“Typical. Tis always ends up with the ones I want the most.” 

Thanatos waived his hand. “I know you have been looking forward to it. You have no reason to lose hope yet. The threads of the Fates can be quite indeterminate this far out. For all we know, he could repent in that time.” 

“Repent?” Megaera raised an eyebrow. “How does someone repent for exiling his sister after promising her safe harbor in his lands?” 

“I never said he would. I doubt he will escape some sentence, regardless. I only know some mortals can behave unpredictably, especially toward the end of their life.” 

“Well, _I_ know most of them don’t think about repenting until I’m several lashes in. So, there’s your answer.” 

“You must admit, you work with a rather limited sample of the population,” Thanatos said. 

“And what about the rest of them, then?” Megaera asked, leaning forward. “Do you have some great defense of mortal behavior I have yet to hear?” 

“I have no interest in defending them. I will only argue that for every one murderer, oath-breaker or criminal that I bring to you Erinyes, I must deliver one hundred more to the House. Most of those who come my way seem to be of a decent sort. If imperfect.” 

“Hmm. Maybe so. Or,” Megaera paused, swallowing the last of her drink. “Maybe you’re just going soft for those souls of yours again, like in your youth.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Thanatos said. 

“It’s a far cry from how you used to talk about them. Especially after Sisyphus. Someone’s been getting to you.” 

Thanatos smiled wryly at the barb. “I have always had a different view of mortals.” 

“That’s a half-truth if I ever heard one. Your affection for life runs deeper than that, and you know it.” 

“You’re one to talk,” he replied, downing the remainder of his drink. 

Megaera narrowed her eyes, a smile crinkling the edges of her lips. “Shut up, Thanatos.” 

“Are we still talking about mortals, Megaera?” 

“Well. I understand your perspective of them, at least.” Megaera pushed her empty cup away. “ _Tch._ Listen to us. All this talk of sympathy is bad for morale. I’m going to have to punish whoever is responsible for our indiscretion.” 

By that time, the responsible party could be heard just down the hall, relaying the latest of his efforts on the lyre to Orpheus. Not long after, he dashed through the tall lounge doorway, stopping short at their table. 

“Hi, you two,” Zagreus said. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” 

“We're almost finished here,” Megaera replied. 

“So I see.” Zagreus eyed the half-empty pint. “Seriously, _how_ are you two still drinking that grog? After all the nectar I’ve brought you both?” 

“You mean the contraband you brought us?” Megaera asked, tilting her head. 

“Yes! The… contraband, exactly,” Zagreus replied slowly. 

“Looks like you answered your own question,” Thanatos said. “Did you come all this way just to judge our taste in beverages?” 

“No, although that _is_ very important. I was stopping by to drop off some fish with the Head Chef.” Zagreus looked at Megaera pointedly. “And that takes care of my house duties for now. So I am—you know. Ready.” 

Megaera lowered her voice. “Did you do as I said?” 

Zagreus nodded quickly. “Yes.” 

Megaera kept her stare locked on Zagreus, who in turn waited patiently, unusually still, for her response. 

Megaera let him hang in the silence. In the quiet, Thanatos watched Zagreus stretch and curl his fingers reflexively, as if to burn off energy he could not yet expend. Then he noticed the subtle quickening in Zagreus’ breath, the ghost of an irrepressible blush on his throat. He felt the intimacy that suddenly thickened the space between them. 

This must be one of their games, Thanatos thought, and he was suddenly intruding upon it. 

"I should get going,” Thanatos said, rising to leave. 

Megaera raised her palm. “No need,” she said. “Our break isn’t over yet. And there’s still a bit of ale left, after all.” She turned back to Zagreus, adding, “Once you’re finished with the chef, you can wait for me in my room.” 

Zagreus’ eyes shifted from Megaera to Thanatos. “Well, if you’re both on break," Zagreus dropped into the seat next to Thanatos, leaning closer to murmur, “Would be nice for you to see the fruits of my labor." 

His closeness, his pleading eyes and coquettish smile, caused Thanatos to duck back. They were still in public, after all, though Zagreus was usually not one to care about decency. It certainly did not seem to occur to him now. The heat of Zagreus' attention seemed to follow regardless of the distance Thanatos put between them, rising quickly in his own chest. 

“What are you talking about?” Thanatos asked. 

Zagreus looked to Megaera. “May I tell him?” 

Megaera shrugged. “It’s Thanatos. You can tell him whatever you want.” 

Zagreus turned back to Thanatos, and in a voice far too sultry for Thanatos' comfort, said, “Meg asked me to wear something for her. She won’t let me escape with it, even though I would be _fine_ , so it’s just as long as I go about my business at the house. All of which I have now completed—diligently, might I add.” 

As if his voice was not persuasive enough on its own, Zagreus placed his hand on Thanatos’ thigh. His squeezing fingers were hidden in the shadow of the table. Thanatos receded, pulling his arms closer to himself, as though to restrain his body from reacting any further. 

And yet, the open question of Zagreus’ pursuit had already begun to color his thoughts, spiraling out into multitudes of appetizing visions. In the absence of a definitive answer, it did not prove difficult to conjure up all sorts of decorative, restrictive, pleasurable adornments—the various natures of which Thanatos had admittedly little knowledge, but had no trouble imagining on Zagreus’ body nonetheless. 

“I would love for you to come with me," Zagreus said. "See what I’ve been up to. What do you say?” 

“Zagreus,” Megaera started. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” 

“I—I still have no idea what you’re going on about,” Thanatos reiterated, a lie told more for the benefit of calming himself than anything else. 

Megaera rolled her eyes. “He wants you to watch us play.” 

Thanatos blanched. _Watch them_? The three had been together before; the idea for their first tryst had come about in a meeting similar to this one. He had never been involved at the same time as Megaera’s more extreme displays of affection, other than what glimpses he accidentally caught walking in on them once or twice, before he willed himself to vanish in embarrassment. All the same, it had been enough time to burn the sight of Zagreus' red skin, wrists and ankles bound, his heavy-lidded eyes, into his mind—enough that he now easily recalled it. 

Thanatos was suddenly cut from thought by Zagreus' fingers drifting up Thanatos' thigh. Zagreus leaned in, his hand closing in on his hip, and he whispered, "Come on, Than." 

“It’s not happening,” Megaera stated forcefully. 

Zagreus’ face drained. He turned back to Megaera. “What? Why?” 

Megaera glared in response. “Because, _Zagreus_ , involving someone else in our play is not something I would ever do off the cuff. You should know that by now.” 

Zagreus blinked, but soon sighed. “Oh. I—that was terribly presumptuous of me. I’m sorry. But, well—maybe we could… negotiate something? If you all want that too, of course.” 

Megaera pressed her lips into a thin smile. “There you go. How about you leave us to discuss it. I think you’ve put Thanatos here through enough. You be good and prepare yourself for me.” 

Zagreus swallowed. “Right. Yes. I’ll… I’ll do that.” 

Zagreus left them both with a quick peck on the cheek. As he darted for the exit, Megaera called over her shoulder, “Aren’t you forgetting something, Zag?” 

Zagreus blinked. “No, M—wait.” His face twisted. “Blood and darkness. The fish.” 

“So much for _diligence_ ,” Thanatos quipped. Megaera stifled a laugh. 

“All right,” Zagreus muttered, trudging back toward the chef. “Have your fun. I still remembered, eventually. Sort of.” 

After Zagreus made his final exit, Thanatos and Megaera shared a knowing look and a smile verging on incredulity. 

“Shameless,” Megaera said. 

“Yes. Utterly so,” Thanatos replied. 

“You don't have to get involved, you know,” Megaera said in earnest. “It shouldn't have happened here. I should have known he would try. He’s been asking about it for a while.” 

“ _Really_ ,” Thanatos said slowly. He hesitated, his next words left on his lips, hoping to conceal his interest a little longer. But he knew better than to try and hide anything from Megaera, who shot him a discerning look as he spoke. 

"Yes, _really_. Don't act so surprised." 

“Do you think… that’s a good idea? I mean, I—I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything.” 

“If that's your concern, then no, you wouldn’t. But I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. If it would make you uncomfortable, then it’s not worth pursuing.” 

Thanatos shifted. “Don’t you… hurt him?” He asked. 

“Not any more than he wants,” Megaera said. 

“Could there be limits to it?” 

Megaera rolled her eyes. “I don't try to kill him off the clock, Thanatos. But yes, you and I will discuss all of that. Then I relay it all to Zag. If you want to go forward.” 

“Well—is it something you want, Megaera?” 

“Thanatos. Like I said, it's you. I would welcome it. Besides, I like having someone watch me work." Megaera lifted her chin, smirking. "And, under the right circumstances, I have a feeling _you’ll_ like what you see.” 

That was all the impetus Thanatos needed, apparently, considering the thoughts running through his mind. 

"I propose you and I iron out the details, then give yourself a shift to think it over. I'll have to see that Zagreus is fine with waiting a little longer—of which I have little doubt—and if you agree, we will meet once you're finished." 

"And if I don't agree?" 

"Then I've tormented him a little longer. Everyone wins." 

“All right,” Thanatos said. 

“All right,” Megaera echoed. She poured the remaining ale into their glasses, pushing one back toward Thanatos. “Let’s get down to bronze tacks. Business before pleasure, as usual.” 

* * *

Thanatos' shift came and went. He took the time, at Megaera’s request, to think her scheme over. It was all Thanatos could do to focus on anything but. Appointments and places and souls blended together in favor of the achingly sharp details he remembered of his and Megaera's negotiations. By the time he delivered his last shade to the House, the answer to her proposition seemed obvious. 

Soon enough Thanatos found himself settling into the black plush of Megaera's chaise, his eyes adjusting to the dim lantern light of her room, inhaling rose and wood-smoked air, exhaling shaken breath. Zagreus knelt before them, smiling pleasantly back at Megaera as she checked the tightness of the cuffs binding his wrists. He wore only his bracelets and an ornate, strappy garment cut from the same bright red cloth. The fabric indented the supple flesh of his chest, all pulled taut by his arms folded behind his back at his waist. 

Thanatos' mouth was already running dry at the sight. He silently thanked himself that he had the sense to arrive fully clothed. 

"Now that we're all situated," Megaera began, caressing Zagreus' shoulders as she spoke, "Repeat the safe words I taught you both"—which the two repeated—"And your signs, Zag"—which Zagreus demonstrated. 

"Very well," she continued. "Like we discussed, Thanatos, you are our guest tonight. I'm not here to order you around. I may have a suggestion for you, which you're free to heed or not. You may do as you please, as long as you leave Zagreus here to me. As for you, Zag...” 

Megaera leaned over Zagreus from behind. Her black robe, woven of a fine, almost transparent silk, stretched into tight lines over the curves of her body. Her hair spilled across her shoulders, falling to curtain Zagreus' face. Megaera arranged herself to tower above Zagreus slowly, deliberately, tugging her hand along his neck until she gripped his jaw. 

These actions were not a show for Thanatos, he knew. The two had little attraction to one another by nature, beyond their cherished friendship. But not even Thanatos was above appreciating the raw beauty of a Fury. Especially one who wielded it with as much power as any of her weapons. Whose touch alone sparked rapid flashes of trepidation and lust in Zagreus' eyes, something they both savored with equal hunger. 

“As for you, you are mine tonight," Megaera stated, "and mine alone. Thanatos and I can speak about you. We can talk to you. But you speak _only_ to me. And you _answer only_ to me. Do you understand?” 

Zagreus nodded. “Yes, Meg.” 

" _Hm_." Megaera drew a finger down Zagreus' chest, snagging her fingertip beneath one strap of the fabric. "This harness was a nice touch. It looks good on you, Zag." 

"Oh—thank you," Zagreus said, beaming with pride. "I wanted to dress up for you both." 

Megaera hummed. "He wanted to dress up for us. How sweet. What do you think, Thanatos?" 

"I think— I think he looks nice," Thanatos stammered. 

Megaera caught Thanatos' eye, a knowing smile on her lips. "You can say it. He does look nice." She slipped her hand between Zagreus' thighs. "Present yourself to our guest, Zag." 

Zagreus dutifully let her hands spread his knees apart, a soft, barely audible noise in his throat accompanying the motion. Thanatos' eyes wandered from the sight of Zagreus biting his lip, down to the flex of his chest, and lower still. Zagreus' cock twitched in response to the attention. 

Thanatos ducked his head instinctively, heat rising to his ears, his nerves buzzing. Even with Zagreus kneeling before him, and he merely there to observe, somehow Thanatos still felt the most exposed of the three. He crossed his legs, curling himself closer to the chaise. His gaze, however, remained transfixed on Zagreus. That, he could not shift so easily. Nor did he want to. 

Megaera scraped the long, pink nails of her left hand up and down Zagreus' legs. Trails of pink skin welled up in their wake. Had she always kept one set of nails longer than the other? The dedication alone impressed Thanatos, though he could see it was for good reason. The muscles of Zagreus' inner thigh trembled along the lines she drew, trying to close into the sensation. His knees stayed rooted in the same position, open to her hand, advancing inward. 

"Stay still now," Megaera whispered. 

As her nails reached the soft cleft where Zagreus' thigh met his hips, Megaera pressed a kiss into the crook of his neck, branding a bright line of lipstick up to his ear. With a light sigh, Zagreus tilted his head closer to her lips, and his hips quivered stronger against the graze of her fingertips. Her other hand brushed up along Zagreus' stomach, the same tickling sensations so effective against his thighs, just distant enough from the places from which he would cry out in pleasure. 

Zagreus loved to be teased like this. Thanatos and Megaera both knew it well. It was unusual, uncanny even, to see Zagreus so frozen in place by it—to not have a whisper upon his lips, not even to buck his hips in a silent plea, for more. 

"You must be surprised to see Zagreus follow directions so well," Megaera said. Whether a lucky guess or an assumption she made from the look on Thanatos' face, Thanatos could not tell. 

"It is..." Thanatos began, struggling to find a proper word to describe how Zagreus looked. He briefly wondered why he bothered with propriety at all. The longer he watched Zagreus, the more foreign the concept seemed to become. 

"It certainly is a rare sight," he said finally. 

Megaera nodded. She raised her hand at Zagreus' stomach to wrap her fingers into the black thicket of his hair, massaging in circles at the crown of his head. "A very rare sight for you, I'm sure. Not so much for me, now. I have him trained well enough." 

Megaera gently pulled Zagreus' head back, drawing a tight, long line of his throat, to trail her lips along the shell of Zagreus' ear. As he sunk back into her embrace, Zagreus' legs spread open further. For a fleeting moment, his body slackened in his restraints, seemingly confident that he could relax—or so Megaera let him think. 

"Training, however, is a constant process." Megaera said, the fry of her voice gaining a rough edge. "There's a reason I bound your hands, Zagreus. Do you know what that reason is?" 

Zagreus craned his head toward her. "I haven't the faintest idea," he said. "Though may I take this time to say that both of you are still wearing far too much clothing? If you'd untie me, I'd happily remedy that." 

" _Quiet_ ," Megaera asserted, her nails digging into the scruff at Zagreus' neck. "You haven't the faintest idea? You think I didn't catch where your hands went underneath the table earlier?" 

Zagreus lifted his chin in defiance. He shrugged as much as his restraints would allow. "Come on. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary." 

"It's unprofessional conduct, is what it is." Megaera's fingers curled deeper, pulling his head back further. "If you can't keep your hands to yourself, then I will have to make you." 

Zagreus panted heavier, fighting to stay upright as Megaera arched his body. 

Eking out an impish smirk, Zagreus rasped, "Then make me." 

Megaera glared at Zagreus, letting his body struggle in her grasp. She released him, temporarily, before grappling his restraints and shoving him forward, bending him over the edge of chaise opposite from Thanatos. Zagreus sputtered, dragging himself further up the cushion. 

Megaera left him there, walking to a wardrobe on the far wall. As she opened the door, Thanatos saw an array of weapons, binds, and strange-shaped objects of unknown—though surmisable—purpose, neatly aligned and hung on hooks, their shine catching the candlelight. She plucked something from the inside: an instrument like her whip, the handle a polished black, gold-encrusted, but sporting a fringe of narrow fuchsia tails instead of one. A flogger, Megaera had explained to Thanatos earlier. Designed to inflict the perfect amount of pain. 

There seemed to be little difference between it and the whip Megaera wielded against Zagreus in Tartarus, but the comparison alone was not enough to diminish his curiosity. He and Megaera had planned for this punishment, after all—with some admirably quick improvisation on her part, following Zagreus' visit. 

Megaera spun the flogger in her hands with an expert precision. The sound of the tails alone, a gust like a furious headwind, made Thanatos brace himself against the back of the chaise, and sent a violent shiver up Zagreus' spine. 

"It seems Zagreus wants to be disciplined," Megaera said. "I think ten lashes would be appropriate for his transgression. Don't you agree, Thanatos?" 

Zagreus groaned softly. He looked up at Thanatos, who intimately felt the intoxicating mix of fear and anticipation shining beneath his eyelashes. 

"I can take it," Zagreus whispered—then, adding carefully, "Meg." 

Thanatos turned his eyes to Megaera, who was watching him intently. He nodded. 

Megaera lunged a measured distance behind Zagreus. The whirl of the flogger slicing through wind was Zagreus' only indication of her presence, which silenced as she gathered the tails in her hand. 

"Thanatos and I were in the public hall, conducting business. And you saw fit to interrupt that with your wanton behavior. Why?" 

"Err—" Zagreus stuttered. "To be honest, I didn't think that far—"

Megaera snapped her wrist. The edge of her flogger nipped Zagreus' buttocks. Zagreus gasped, and Thanatos flinched slightly, looking to the ceiling. The instinctual urge to whisk Zagreus away welled within him, but with a heavy breath, he willed it down. 

"You didn't think," Megaera said. She readied the flogger again. "Of course you didn't. Now you have the opportunity." 

"I— I swear, I just saw you two and— I didn't do anything on purpose—"

" _Liar_ ," Megaera sneered, cracking the tails across Zagreus' skin. 

There, sharp in Thanatos' mind, was Zagreus' body leaning over him in the lounge, the provocative curve of his waist where Thanatos' hands fit so perfectly. If he had gripped him there, Zagreus might have keened, high and soft—just as he keened now, laid pliant by the flogger's sting. 

The thought alone relieved some of the tension in his muscles. Thanatos unwound himself from the back of the chaise, moving one leg to rest on the other side. It was all the better to watch Zagreus' body squirming in front of him. Thanatos' eyes returned down, to the blood rising to color Zagreus' chest, to his cheek pressed into the plush black velvet, to his heavy panting breath, stirring his frame. Thanatos could only ignore the sight for so long. On Zagreus, it was irresistible. 

"Don't play dumb, Zagreus," Megaera continued. "We both know why you did it. You wanted to get a rise out of Thanatos. Goad him into joining us." 

A silence passed, with only Zagreus' breathing to fill it, followed by another thrashing. 

" _Ghh—hah_ —okay!" Zagreus exclaimed. His voice grew small, shaky, as he continued. "Okay... I admit it." 

"There it is." 

The flogger bit into his skin again, the sound of it brighter, louder than before. The mangled cry that inevitably followed made Thanatos' heart jump into his throat, but concern was not the only feeling rising within him. He could not deny a sort of allure in Zagreus' agony, something about the way it possessed him—muscles slackening, giving way to hips canting, eyelashes fluttering—which increasingly muted his aversion. 

Megaera clicked her teeth. "You know better than to behave like that with me, but I saw your intentions plain in your eyes. You _really_ couldn't wait, could you?" She asked sharply, preparing the flogger again. 

"I..." Zagreus trailed off, the confession stalled on his lips. He only managed to look up. Thanatos had not realized, until then, how much he wanted Zagreus to meet his gaze, all of his pleasure laid bare in his glassy eyes. All of it readily available for Thanatos to drink in. The ache of their shared lust pooled heavy in his stomach, a final confirmation of this unexpected, but certain, desire. 

Thanatos had no idea _what_ to expect before this, of course. Thanatos' only prior reference to such brutality had been of their shared battlefield, of the skeletons that tore at Zagreus' neck, the arrows that pierced his back, his blood cold and static by the time the river Styx dragged him down. Whether a spear slicing Zagreus' flesh or a flogger cracking against it, Thanatos had reasoned his reaction would feel the same. All this time, he had been waiting for that same danger to arise. He had been waiting for this all to go too far. 

But it didn't. There was no material danger here, in this room. There was his dear prince, caught in the churn from struggle to surrender. There was his oldest friend, with her sharp, but caring eye trained on him, watching for the right second to make him succumb. And there was Thanatos, compelled by this fresh craving to see it all unfold before him. 

Zagreus' eyes fell between Thanatos' legs then, his mouth slightly parted. A daring confidence took hold of Thanatos, a desperate urge to bind Zagreus' devotion to him a little longer. He moved his hand to his thighs to rub against his straining erection. He granted himself only temporary relief from the rising throb of his cock, but he did not care. It was worth it to influence Zagreus' debauched expression. 

Megaera brought Zagreus back to attention with a quick strike of the flogger. "Zagreus, so help me." 

Zagreus screwed his eyes shut. "I-I couldn't wait, Meg, please—" 

She struck him again. "I know you couldn't. You wanted us all to yourself, decency be damned." 

" _Yes_." 

"And I know you wanted our hands all over you in turn. Petting you. Stroking you. Pleasing you." 

Zagreus shuddered. " _Mmmh_ —"

Again, she snapped the tails. "In fact, you'd let us fuck you right in the lounge in front of everyone, wouldn't you?" 

"Gods," Zagreus moaned, "Yes..." 

Megaera's admonitions came in time with her flagellations—"You insatiable"—Another lash—"depraved"—Another lash—"greedy little man." 

A heavy moan latched in his throat with the last three rapid licks of the leather. Zagreus' body writhed, seeking and finding nothing to slow the rush. If he was still suffering, he no longer showed it. 

"I will not have you discredit us. Tell Thanatos you're sorry, now." 

"I'm sorry!" Zagreus cried, barely catching his breath. 

"Tell him you're sorry for being a shameless slut." 

"I'm— _mmm_ —I'm sorry for being a shameless slut," Zagreus whimpered pitifully. 

With every word that dripped off his tongue, Zagreus arched his body further into the chaise. Zagreus' rhythm seemed fruitless, empty without anything to meet it. Thanatos wanted nothing more than to fill the gap, to feel his hard body shaking and flexing in his grip. Pleasure gathered strength under Thanatos' hand, moving rougher against himself. 

The warm spread of it so consumed him that he barely heard himself whisper, " _Good_ , Zagreus," until the moan he received in reply alerted him to it. 

Megaera hung the flogger on an open wall hook. She stepped back, admiring her work. A shiver ran through her wing, her lip bitten hard between her teeth. She hummed. "You should see him, Thanatos. Our God of Blood indeed, with his skin this red." 

Carefully, Megaera gathered Zagreus in her arms, leaning his backside into the cool seat of her thighs. Her long fingers snaked up to the pins holding up her chiton. Zagreus held undivided attention on each move she made, the soft pop of the fabric, her deliberate clasp of the black silk, slipping it down the full curve of her breasts. Only the spill of her blue hair remained to frame her chest. Zagreus sighed, catching himself just before moving on his own accord. 

"Are you going to behave yourself now, Zag?" Megaera asked. 

"Yes, Meg," Zagreus murmured. 

A hand curled into Zagreus' hair, pulling his head forward, and Zagreus opened his mouth to catch her nipple between his lips. Megaera's breath hitched slightly, as much as she would allow. As much as could be stifled, under the skill of Zagreus' tongue, the ardent tug on her skin as he sucked her nipple into a stiff peak. 

Whatever reprieve Zagreus found did not last, as he whimpered under Megaera's hand closing at the base of his cock, stroking him slowly. She continued until Zagreus dissolved into her arms, moaning with his head thrown back against her shoulder. 

"You were worried I would hurt him," Megaera said to Thanatos. "Listen to him. Flogged within an inch of his life, and still desperate for more. Tell us how you feel, Zag." 

"—Feels so good, Meg," Zagreus replied, the words rolling so heavy in his throat that Thanatos had no trouble believing him. "So _good_..." 

"You want more, don't you?" 

"Y-yes," Zagreus whined. " _More_." 

"Of course you do," Megaera said. "But you'll just have to wait. I’m not through with you yet." 

Her meaning clicked in Thanatos' head. Either he has worked with Megaera long enough to understand her train of thought, or he must be catching on. Perhaps both. 

"You do have yet to apologize to Megaera, Zag," Thanatos said. 

"I'm sorry, _mmm_ —Meg," Zagreus said hastily, bucking against Megaera's hand. "I'm _sorry_ , I promise I'll—" 

"No," Megaera cut in. Her free hand dropped to his waist, staying his motion. "I don't need your word. I can think of a better use for your mouth." 

" _A-ah_ — anything—"

Megaera hoisted Zagreus up by his harness, leading him to lay in bed, close enough to the edge to remain in Thanatos' view. With a pillow under his head, and her legs parted above him, she shimmied up Zagreus' body until her thighs cradled his neck. She drew her finger down the length of his cheek. 

"I am going to ride your face until I come," she purred, silken-smooth. 

Zagreus groaned. "Please," he whispered. 

Megaera lowered her body onto Zagreus, who in turn rushed up to meet her. His mouth sunk into the folds of her pussy, his lips kissing and sucking slowly at the soft skin, evoking a choked sigh from her. Zagreus' shoulders pressed away from his restraints. Thanatos knew how Zagreus loved to brush his broad hands over Thanatos' thighs, his waist, his lower back, ceaselessly. To see him so desperate to move them now almost inspired sympathy for him, or something akin to it. 

"He must hate being bound like that, Megaera," Thanatos said. 

“Oh— he does," Megaera said, pausing to bite off a moan. "But he finds ways to make up for it. He loves to please, as you know.” 

Megaera swayed one arm behind her, wrapping her fingers into Zagreus' harness, her other hand entwined into the crown of Zagreus' scalp. She began rocking her hips fluidly atop Zagreus, forming shapes like the twists of her whip. Zagreus surrendered his mouth to the pace she set, letting her glide her body back and forth along his flat tongue, catching suction when she thrusted forward. This dragged another low, breathy moan from her. 

Zagreus was all but helpless beneath her; he channeled all of his energy into this acute movement. Thanatos had that same tongue on him so many times before—so many times, yet never enough to sate. How he wished those lips were on his skin now. How he wanted the dull, heavy eyes Zagreus fixed on Megaera to be fixed on him instead, to feel the heat of his mouth as he sunk down on his cock, to hear him moan just a half-syllable of his name as Thanatos took him faster, to let him do to him exactly as Thanatos wanted... 

Thanatos came to his senses in a snap. He had been digging in his heels, his body taut, as though that was all that held him back from shifting into bed with them. The attempt to relax was in vain; he could only concentrate on savoring the little flashes of Zagreus’ tongue as it dragged up to meet Megaera’s body, the groan of her pleasure, and how painfully neglected Thanatos himself felt with the discreet rubs he had allowed. 

Zagreus was too much, too enticing, to not give in to his maddening need by now. Thanatos freed himself from his leggings, finally dragging his fist up the painfully hard length of his cock, and pleasure bloomed white-hot, overwhelming him. Thanatos gasped involuntarily—which did not go unnoticed by Megaera and her smirking glare. 

“Oh, Zag," Megaera sighed, looking back down at Zagreus. "Our guest pleasures himself to you now. You must look so good to him. Almost as good as you feel." 

A furious shame spread in Thanatos' face; simultaneously, the perverse heat of it spread down into his abdomen, aided by the high moan Zagreus made. The sound was soon muffled by Megara’s thighs tightening around his head. Thanatos had to hold back; he slowed his pace deliberately, so that he did not fall into the quickening of Megaera’s motion and follow her into bliss. He wanted to see Zagreus through to the end, to savor every helpless twist of his body beneath her, as agonizing as it was for him to delay his own satisfaction this long. 

Megaera had no such inclination. Her satisfaction was hers to take. She had caught her rhythm within Zagreus' lips, grinding herself faster and her grip curling tighter. 

She huffed, low and gruff. " _Ugh_ — Zagreus—right there," she growled, fastening him as her body tightened and her thighs all but enveloped him. The taut lines of her abs clenched, and with a final gasp, she shuddered, rocking herself through waves of pleasure. She finally let up on Zagreus, who let out a burst of panting, whimpering breath. 

"Clean me up, now," she murmured, "while I think of what to do with you next." Her thighs squeezed through the overstimulation, but she maintained her posture nonetheless. 

Once satisfied, she said, "Thanatos has not seen me take you in a while. I think he deserves to. Would you agree, Thanatos?" 

"I would," Thanatos replied breathlessly. 

Megaera took her time untangling herself from the vice grip she had on Zagreus' head. Once free, Zagreus gasped, licking his wet and suddenly empty lips. The breath had barely escaped him before Megaera wrapped her hands around Zagreus and lift him. It seemed to take little effort on her part; in her grasp, he was limp and pliant, as light as any one of her toys. She turned him over to press his face into the sheets, dragging his hips up under his knees to meet hers. 

"That's more like it," Megaera murmured, drawing her fingernails languidly up his backside. 

She reached back on the bed for a harness of her own, sporting a cock made of some material Thanatos did not recognize. A thought seemed to strike her then, a prescience in her narrowed eyes as she turned back. 

"You ought to come closer, Thanatos," Megaera said. "I'd hate for you to miss his pretty face when he comes." She cocked her head toward her nightstand. "And bring me that jar, while you're at it." 

Before Megaera finished her sentence, Thanatos was already rising off of the chaise. As fast as he could manage, he shed his clothing, handed her the jar, and crawled closer to Zagreus. 

"Up, Zag," Megaera whispered. She lifted Zagreus by the harness at his back. 

Thanatos lay himself beneath Zagreus, close enough to finally see all the details of him he so adored: the glow of Zagreus' face, the sweet musk of his sweat, the way his breath and heat pooled around him like the tides, how Thanatos' ichor burned in its wake. His pleasure inspired reverence, and instinctively Thanatos reached out to pet his disheveled hair. 

"You look so beautiful like this, Zagreus," Thanatos purred. His free hand began to stroke himself again, the pleasure returning without much delay. 

Zagreus sighed, biting his lip. Whatever he held at bay did not last, as he soon arched into a touch that Thanatos could not see, but could tell well enough by the way Zagreus' hips began to move. 

Thanatos faintly realized that Megaera had first removed something to cause such a strong reaction in Zagreus—perhaps whatever it was that Zagreus had been wearing for her since their meeting in the lounge—but he could not find it within himself to care what it was any longer. Not when such a heady daze had fallen over Zagreus' face, his eyes unfixed, as Megaera thrust slowly into him. His hips ground fast and desperate against her. Between that and Thanatos holding him up by his shoulder in one hand, stroking himself to Zagreus' moans with the other, Zagreus quickly came apart at the seams. 

"Meg," Zagreus whined, finding his voice for a brief moment. "The both of you— _Gods_ , I can't..." 

"You can't what?" 

"Can't _wait_." 

"Yes, you can." 

Zagreus moaned, a sound somewhere between frustration and arousal. He looked back at Megaera as best he could, his limp muscles not letting him get far. 

"I _can't_ ," he whispered. " _Oh—fuck_ , I'm so— so close..." 

"Focus, Zagreus," Megaera ordered. She slowed her thrusts to drape herself above him. She kissed the nape of his neck. "You're not coming until our guest does," she added. 

" _Aah_ — 'm sorry—"

"Then make it up to him. How should Zag please you, Thanatos?" 

The question was almost perfunctory, with Zagreus' hands still tied around his back, and with Megaera working him open. What was left was what Thanatos wanted most, nonetheless. Thanatos brought his fingers to Zagreus' face, swiping his thumb over his lower lip. He relished in the sensation of the blood thrumming beneath the thin skin, relished in how Zagreus trembled at his touch. He understood why Megaera made him wait. With some patience, he could hold the last shreds of Zagreus' self-control at his command. 

But not for long. The wet stripe of Zagreus' tongue brushing across his thumb startled Thanatos at first. Zagreus continued, licking gently at his fingers, a silent offering for more. It quickly overwhelmed any sense of patience Thanatos had. He groaned. 

"I think I will take his mouth too, Megaera," Thanatos said, hearing an almost unrecognizable fervor in his own voice. 

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Zag?" Megaera asked. 

" _Mm-hm_ ," Zagreus moaned in response, pressing a kiss to the palm of Thanatos' hand. 

" _Tch_. Don't let him off so easily, Thanatos," Megaera said. "If he wants you that bad, he should beg for it. Give it a try, if you wish." 

Thanatos wished it, all right. 

"Well, Zagreus?" He asked softly. "Will you beg for me?" 

Zagreus' eyes widened, almost incredulously, as he finally returned Thanatos' gaze. As their eyes met, his expression melted into its familiar love, altered by a foreign hunger. 

" _Thanatos_ ," he managed to say after a panting breath. "Please, let me serve you." 

It was all Thanatos could do to not acquiesce to Zagreus immediately. He didn't know how Megaera could stand to deny him at all. 

"How will you serve me, Zag?" He asked. 

"Let _mmh_ \- let me suck your cock— I _want_ to, I want— have wanted you for _so_ long." 

Thanatos could have stayed Zagreus longer, perhaps, but he was not as practiced as his partner. "Yes," Thanatos replied, his voice thick on his tongue. "Show me how long you've wanted this." 

"Do it, Zag," Megaera ordered, lowering his harness down to meet Thanatos' body. 

Zagreus dropped into Thanatos' lap, mouthing mindlessly along the base of his cock only for the time it took to find his head and swallow him. Every thought in Thanatos' mind drained; he gripped Zagreus tight and thrust into him without so much as knowing he did so. His eyes rolled shut, closing his world only to Zagreus' lips and tongue, relentlessly working him to a frenzy. 

Somewhere, swimming in the darkness, he felt raw power picking up, guiding Zagreus' body with punishing speed. Thanatos managed to glance down. Megaera was spread over Zagreus, curling her fingers into his hair and holding him down over Thanatos' cock, thrusting deep into him at once. And Zagreus, wholly subservient to both of them, was locked in place, unconscious to everything else but them, lost in the ebb and flow of being filled and used for their pleasure. 

Tears brimmed and peeled down Zagreus' cheek, and when he turned up his pleading eyes to Thanatos, that was enough. Thanatos' climax swelled so fast that he almost went numb with it, tearing through his body, raw and sublime. 

Thanatos heard his own words, felt them warm in his throat. "Fuck— _ah, fuck_ — so _good_ , Zagreus," he said. 

Zagreus had not yet let go of him, Thanatos realized as his senses returned. He swallowed Thanatos whole, sucking him with his learned precision until the feeling dulled into pleasurable warmth. Only then did Zagreus pull back, gasping, drooling, kissing down the salt-marked lines of sweat on Thanatos' chest and stomach. Thanatos spread his hands around Zagreus' back, too spent to offer anything more than a lazy embrace. 

The lust that clouded Thanatos' mind did not yet recede. Not when there was a god, his prince, moaning strings of incomplete words against him. In their embrace, Zagreus' untouched cock thrusted against him, hot and achingly hard, eager for any contact he could find. Unshed tears clung to his eyelashes, and his breath halted and heaved without any semblance of control; he was still delirious with his own need, still completely at the mercy of Megaera fucking him without respite. 

"Such perfect obedience from you now, Zagreus," Megaera jeered. "Does our shameless slut want his reward now?" 

"I do, I _do_ , please Meg, please— Meg—" Zagreus mewled, the words almost lost before they left his lips. 

"And since you've served us well, I think we will both reward you in return. Thanatos?" 

"Gladly," Thanatos replied, his hand already reaching for Zagreus' cock. He slowed only to spread the fount of slick across Zagreus' length, before working him up to full speed, reducing Zagreus' body to the shocks that seized him. 

"Fuck— please— _please_ —" Zagreus begged. 

"Come for us both," Megaera ordered. "Now." 

At her demand, Zagreus' body stopped moving, his fingers and toes curling, his head drawn and his mouth slack, possessed by the heavy shudder running along his spine until finally, finally, Zagreus came with hours and hours of tension releasing at once. He cried out in a rough, punctured sob, carried away on gasping breath as Megaera rocked him through pleasure flowing out of him, over and over and over. 

The moment Zagreus could speak again, he whispered, "Thank you— thank you— thank you, Meg." 

Zagreus' strength gave out, and he collapsed, limp, onto Thanatos. Megaera slowly pulled out of him, the clinking of her equipment seeming distant in Thanatos' bleary consciousness. 

"Let me take him for a moment, Thanatos," Megaera said softly. He relinquished Zagreus to her, and she him on his side between his two partners, burrowing him into the lush bedding. 

She freed Zagreus' arms. An unknown stretch of time passed, until the cool, sharp smell of a surface plant filled the air. The red areas of Zagreus' skin shined with it as Megaera applied it in slow circles. Even in this act, Megaera was methodical, but adoring. She massaged his spent muscles, kissing tender spots with care. 

"How's that feel, Zag?" She asked. 

" _Mmph_. Good," he murmured. 

"Did you enjoy that?" 

Zagreus managed a small laugh. "Bit of an understatement." He sighed. "You two make quite the team." 

"That we do," Megaera said. "I'm surprised you caught on so fast, Thanatos." 

Thanatos sighed. "I think I have you to thank for that." 

When Thanatos finally had enough energy to lay on his side toward them, Megaera set the jar of clear gel within reach. "We will wash him later, but this will help, for now," she explained. 

"May I?" Thanatos asked, taking the jar for himself. Megaera nodded. 

Zagreus did not move much as they attended to him, his body growing heavy with sleep. He looked at Thanatos dreamily, curling their fingers together. 

"And you?" Zagreus asked. "Did you like it?" 

"I hope my participation made that clear enough," Thanatos said. "Was Megaera's punishment persuasive?" 

Zagreus used the last of his energy to smirk. "Not a chance. Guess I'll need more of it. Maybe from the both of you." 

"Tch. Some things will not change, Thanatos. I'm not a goddess of miracles." 

Thanatos leaned over to kiss Zagreus on his forehead, the apple of his cheeks, and finally his soft, love-warmed lips. 

Slumber sunk into them quickly. The last thing that Thanatos felt was the soft skin of Megaera's wing, enveloping him and Zagreus both. 

**Author's Note:**

> So you see dear reader, this fic is all about… the power of friendship. LOL.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and thank you SO much if you take the time to leave kudos, comment, or a bookmark. This fic in particular went through a particularly grueling process as I had to deal with some major life events in the middle of it, and it’s my pleasure to set this one free to the world finally. I really hope you enjoyed it. And I really could not have done it without the love and support of this fantastic community of creators. I owe a huge thank you to [Stygius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stygius), who not only provided invaluable critique and input on this work, but has a whole tome of banger fics of her own worth reading.
> 
> More to come soon!
> 
> I post WIPs, fic updates, and a bunch of nonsense on my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/the__pleiades) (18+ only please!!).


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